iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 16/09/2026

Scientist here: It is widely known inside science that this—top-down imposition of a research agenda—leads to mostly rote, boring, non-innovative work. Building an institute to do discovery science is hard: you hire young people, put them together, hope synergies arise and ideas fall out.

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Drug Monkey @drugmonkey.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Shockingly, unprecedented low success rates due to multi-year funding leads to: “NIH finds it necessary to continue modified peer review practices to effectively review an unprecedented number of grant applications”

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Dr. Roberta Dollinger @robertadolling1.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

The greatest travesty resulting from the einshittification of everything is that each and every piece of useful information must now be entered into a separate type of custom software so that you can download it all as a PDF instead of having a word document-PDF pipeline that enables easy updates.

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Dr. Roberta Dollinger @robertadolling1.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

No, but this is great. Imagine the convenience of a split screen!

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I think it is important to read the interagency agreement story with the following data in mind, showing that NIH is billions of dollars and thousands of grants behind schedule with the end of the fiscal year approaching. @noamross.net & @scott-delaney.bsky.social grantwitness.org/nih/analyses...

All NIH awards and obligations via Grant Witness

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

A few countries are doing this. But I need to stress that it will only happen for a tiny fraction of US scientists who have lost funding or jobs. There are not enough jobs in the rest of the world combined. The impact of Donald Trump and Elon Musk will not be science moving, but less science. 🧪

nature.com

Canada recruits dozens of US scholars — including several science stars

US funding uncertainty was a key factor for several of the researchers heading to Canada. Observers predict more will follow.

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

In Otter News @in-otter-news.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Oh dear, what did he do!?

A cartoon otter in a necktie and name badge sits at a conference table in a sketch-style office scene with bold yellow diagonal stripes behind him.

The image text reads exactly:
“Today everyone is having a safety meeting at work. It is about the things Steve did yesterday.”

On the otter’s coffee mug:
“I ♥ FISH”

In small print at the bottom left corner:
“otternews.co.uk”

In the bottom right corner:
“In Otter News”

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Dr. Roberta Dollinger @robertadolling1.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Who amongst us hasn’t bought a “validated” antibody only to have it fail spectacularly?

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Jacquelyn Gill @jacquelyngill.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Hey folks, this hasn’t gotten much attention, but remember those proposed OMB rule changes we all commented on recently? There’s a new attempt to sneak them just for NSF. We have three days to comment. Please don’t sleep on this!

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Michael D. Green, PhD @michaeldgreen.phd · 20/08/2026

Trying to get a grant in year 3

Anne Hathaway holding the bow that only Odysseus can string

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

For some perspective on how much FY26 is a historic outlier this is, here is a mockup using the number of grants with an original date for each fiscal year. n.b. slightly overestimates the true number of new grants because it counts transfers, etc. as new awards

Chart showing NSF new grants over time from 1980 on

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

NSF's research spending is on a two-year cycle and will not expire in October, so the $1 billion can theoretically be spent in FY27. But there are serious legal questions about withholding so much, esp. without giving Congress notice. And the ICA covers deferrals, not just rescissions.

congress.gov

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Scoop: For nearly a year, NSF has struggled to make new grants. Now we know that it will not catch up. In fact, NSF will award just 6,100 new grants—a 30% y/o/y decline, itself down from a previous avg. of 11,000+. In fact, the last time NSF awarded so few grants was in the early '80s.

nature.com

Exclusive: NSF set to issue lowest number of new grants in four decades

The US science-funding agency is withholding $1 billion of its budget so that the money can go to a special White House project.

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Dr. Roberta Dollinger @robertadolling1.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Check out our new paper! We did Cryo-EM on native Pol II elongation complexes isolated from Drosophila embryos. This was an incredible collaboration across multiple labs and is now available for your perusal. 👇 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.com

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Craig Kaplan @triggerloop.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

This particular one I wouldnt be surprised if someone came up with it with good intentions but like turning around a battleship - does it reflect existing conditions? If funding levels are 20-25% this is totally different that if they are 7%. Also totally different if there are application caps etc!

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Dr. Roberta Dollinger @robertadolling1.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

It's almost like not doing the assignments that are supposed to help you understand and master the material interferes with your ability to understand and master the material. Curious.

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Yeah sure I could answer my emails, or I could lay down on the floor and stare at the ceiling while feeling incredibly overwhelmed, you know?

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Dr. Roberta Dollinger @robertadolling1.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Also, if you can’t see scores for the different categories, how do you know which part of your grant to revise?

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Dr. Roberta Dollinger @robertadolling1.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

This is one of those “slowly, then all at once” things. We’re not supposed to notice.

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

The NIH just released a proposal that will apparently hide peer reviewers’ impact scores and percentiles from the research team, their institution, and NIH program officers. All the better to obscure how funding decisions will be made primarily via political review, I’m guessing.

grants.nih.gov

NOT-OD-26-088: Request for Information (RFI) on Proposed Changes to Reporting Outcomes from NIH Peer Review

NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: Request for Information (RFI) on Proposed Changes to Reporting Outcomes from NIH Peer Review NOT-OD-26-088. NIH

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

WeRateDogs @weratedogs.com · 06/08/2026

This is Bruce. He prefers his sticks with a little pizazz. 13/10 (IG: brucewaynethegoldenboy)

a golden retriever trots along a cement pathway outside with a city skyline in the distance. his front left paw is suspended in the air as he has been caught mid-step. he looks over at the camera with a little grin. he's holding a long leafy branch in his mouth. can't believe his luck at finding this razzle dazzle stick.

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 06/08/2026

Initially the F.D.A. had refused to even review Moderna’s application for approval earlier this year, but quickly reversed course after a public outcry.

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 21/07/2026

as a dad who has also been delayed getting home to Ithaca after a work trip that wasn't a lot of fun (although professionally successful), I greatly enjoyed the Odyssey

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Dr. Roberta Dollinger @robertadolling1.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Has anyone successfully done RNA-seq with Plasmidsaurus using ~10K-50K cells?

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Drug Monkey @drugmonkey.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

496,769 comments on the OMB proposed rule asserting numerous political interferences in government agency operations. Only about 53,000 have been posted but they skew massively (~94%) against the OMB proposals.

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Kirstie Cummings @kacummings.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

I just submitted my comment and so can you! Commenting closes today - it is not too late to voice your concerns!

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Sarah Gollust @sarahgollust.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Did you write your comment yet on the OMB rules on federally funded science yet? No? Don’t worry, you can do it this weekend. Here are some resources that can help you get started.

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Kristen Boyle, PhD @kristenboyle.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

It finally came!! We received our NOA today for an R01 submitted in October 2024. Somewhere in there I had lost all hope. But today, we have been funded to do this important work. Stay tuned for more to come about this project! 🧪 #AcademicSky #WomeninSTEM

Screenshot of an NIH Notice of Award for an R01 through NIDA. Federal Award Date 07/02/2026

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Victor Lowe 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇨🇳🇱🇦🇨🇺🇻🇳 @victorelowe.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

"Nobody cares about the bomb that didn't go off" - Tenet

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Dr. Roberta Dollinger @robertadolling1.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Big day for the Nothing Ever Happens people. But also: “And while we’ve taken the worst of the worst-case scenarios off the table, we’ve run out of time to keep warming below 1.5°C, and 2°C — the upper limit that the 2015 Paris Accords sought to prevent.”

vox.com

Climate change’s worst-case scenario is officially canceled

What comes next will depend on us.

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Noam Ross @noamross.net · 11/06/2026

Still all quiet on the #NSF front. No new awards in the past week. REMINDER: We still are hearing of trickles of terminations, suspensions, and money being held back from grantees, which NSF isn't reporting. We need your help - please report! 🧪 grant-witness.us/posts/2026-0...

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Dr. Roberta Dollinger @robertadolling1.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

“The students who cannot read a 20-page article today are the voters who will not be able to read a bill, or the jurors who cannot follow a closing argument, tomorrow.”

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Important update: This morning NSF removed its internal flags on 3 of the 4 universities (Princeton's remains). We've updated our story to reflect this and the release of the new awards to Harvard and Duke.

Update: On 28 May, the day after this story was published, the NSF’s OAM removed from its database the note “Future Awards to Organization on Hold” for Duke, Harvard and Yale. And a few grants for researchers at Harvard and Duke have been released, according to agency staff members who spoke to Nature.

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Small update: Since yesterday afternoon, when our article was published, 4 new awards have gone out to Harvard PIs—the first since December.

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

GONZO the Ca'at @gonzo.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Behaviores Report: 100% goode!

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Isabel saur @izzysaurlab.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

We have an open PhD position in our Mol. Biochemistry of Plant-Microbe Interactions Lab Saurlab.com. Please see details below, share and consider applying. jobportal.uni-koeln.de/ausschreibun...

jobportal.uni-koeln.de

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Yesterday—4 days after OMB released its proposal to revamp all federal funding—there were 3500+ comments. Today there are nearly 4,500. Our story on the damage the proposal could inflict on science and the researchers pushing back. Reported w/@marilenharo.bsky.social:

nature.com

White House proposes vast overhaul of US science funding: what you need to know

The Trump administration’s proposal aims to improve transparency in federal funding, but critics fear the proposed rules would politicize research

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

The list of NSF positions is extremely narrow... with the exception of the Office of Award Management, nearly all of which (~30 or so) will now be Policy/Career.

Positions of “Senior Advisor” under position description number
OT22003;
Positions of “Biological Science Administrator” under position
description number 2307000;
Positions of “Supervisory Grants and Contract Policy Analyst”
under position description number 2414900;
Positions of “Grants Management Specialist” under position
description number 1402500;
Positions of “Supervisory Grants Management Specialist” under
position description numbers 1500200 and 1502800;

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Reposted by Dr. Roberta Dollinger

Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 03/06/2026

'Positions of “Health Scientist Administrator”' 'Positions of branch chief or division director' Health Scientist Administrators include #NIH program officers and scientific review officers (who run peer review). Branch chief/div. directors supervise program officers. This could be a bloodbath. 🧪

Positions of “Principal Deputy Director” under position
description number 00551682;
Positions of “Deputy Director for Intramural Research” under
position description number 00235547;
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Positions of “Associate Director for Science Policy” under
position description number 00545751;
Positions of “Supervisory Public Health Analyst” under position
description number 00450091;
Positions of branch chief or division director that are
responsible for (1) influencing policy-making and budgetary
decisions over a portfolio of not less than in $20 million in
biomedical research grants, cooperative agreements, and/or
related funding mechanisms; and (2) formulating and
implementing program objectives, establishing funding
priorities, and exercising discretion in the allocation of
federal resources to advance Institute- and National Institutes
of Health-wide strategic goals.

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